


Something New

by pipermack



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Meeting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 10:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7931524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipermack/pseuds/pipermack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-Accelerator explosion. Eddie/Barry alternate meeting and flirting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something New

Eddie Thawne smiles as he walks out of his apartment building into a bright sunny day. Transferring to a new department had been difficult, but being in the city is honestly something Eddie has always dreamed about. And, since this would be his first weekend off since starting at CCPD two weeks ago, he'd figured that he should do some exploring in his new place of residence. 

He’s only gotten a few blocks down when suddenly, he hears some shouting and sees a man running towards him gripping what looks like a purse, two other people chasing behind and shouting for him to stop. Without hesitating, Eddie runs at the guy and tackles him. He wrestles the bag away and manages to get the guy up, keeping his hands secured behind his back. “CCPD. You’re under arrest,” he says. As he finishes reading the perp his rights, he looks up, seeing a woman running over with a man sporting a shiner following behind a few paces.

“Oh thank god!” The woman says, running over to pick the purse up. “See, I told you not to worry about it Bear, I knew someone would help.” She looks back at Eddie and grins, then realizes he’s still struggling to keep the thief under control. “Oh… uh, there’s a zip tie in here somewhere… hold on.” She pulls it out and hands it to Eddie, who takes it and manages to secure the thief’s hands. “My dad taught me to keep these things handy,” she says.

“Uh… thanks?” He replies, smiling at the woman. He looks over when the man she was with finally catches up and he blushes. Even with a black eye, Eddie can tell he's attractive. “I uh, look, I’m a detective. My name's Eddie. I’m gonna call for backup, can you two sit tight and give a statement?”

The woman rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I think we can manage, Detective,” she replies. “Barry, did you call dad?”

The man, Barry, nods, then looks up at Eddie. “I uh, yeah, her dad’s on the way,” he says, a grin spreading across his face as he looks at the detective in front of him. The really, very cute detective. “He’s on the force too. I uh… " He gestures at the thief that Eddie sat on the curb. "I tried to stop him but…” Barry smiles bashfully and shrugs, and Eddie’s heart stops for a moment. “Anyway. Thanks. I don’t think Iris would let me hear the end of it if I got hit and she lost her bag for good.”

Eddie chuckles, a bit nervously, blind to Iris glancing between him and Barry. “Uh… yeah… my brother here thinks he's the Arrow or something,” she teases, and she can’t help but smirk at how Detective Eddie’s face lights up at the word “brother.”

“Well, maybe leave the crime fighting to the Arrow,” Eddie says, grinning at Barry again, who blushes and ducks his head. “At least until you learn how to block a punch.”

They wait another few minutes, the perp still struggling weakly against his restraints until Joe pulls up in front of them and frowns as he gets out of the car. "What the hell happened?" He asks, looking Iris and Barry, then over to Eddie. "Hey, Detective Pretty Boy! Do you just go lookin' for trouble?"

Eddie blushes at the nickname and Barry and Iris nearly giggle. "Detective West! I uh, no, actually. It found me this time." He glances to the thief and back up to the other three, and it clicks. "Oh! Oh, these are, okay. Alright. Your kids." He clears his throat and glances at Barry again then looks at Joe. "Well... if you wanna get this guy back to the station, I can finish taking a statement?"

Joe looks at Eddie, then to Iris who rolls her eyes fondly and Barry who, despite the black eye, hasn't stopped grinning. At Detective Pretty Boy. Narrowing his eyes, Joe shakes his head and looks back to Eddie. "Nope, I got it," he says quickly. "Get this guy in the car, then, yknow, go enjoy your weekend."

Eddie's face falls slightly but he nods. "Uh, yeah. I uh. Sounds good. Thank you sir." He smiles at Iris again and then at Barry. "Nice to meet you both," he said. "And um, Barry, right?"

Barry looks up and smiles. "Yeah?"

"Arnica and witch hazel will help with the eye." He smiles softly then hoists the perp up, getting him into the back of Joe's car then heading off again with one final wave.  
Joe and Iris watch Barry watch Eddie leave, then share a look, both thinking the same thing. Barry's a goner.

***

Later in the week, Eddie and Barry run into each other again. Literally.

Barry is running late, as usual, for lunch with Iris and Joe. She's texted three times already that she's in the lobby, and if he was so busy he shouldn't have agreed to meet up. With a sigh, he gathers up the files he needs to deliver on his way out, and heads downstairs. As he reaches the bottom stair though, he collides with another person heading up and his papers go everywhere. He’d have fallen too if a strong pair of hands from the person that bowled him over hadn’t caught him first. Flustered, Barry ducks down to start reassembling his file, muttering to himself about how email would have worked just as well when one of the hands that caught him holds out a page. Barry takes it and looks up, blushing when he sees Detective Pretty Boy—er—Eddie, looking down at him.

“Barry! what are you doing here?” Eddie asks, and Barry can’t help the little flip his heart does at hearing Eddie say his name. “You here to see Joe?”

Barry nods for a moment then recollects himself, clearing his throat. “I uh, actually… I work in the CSU. I’m a crime scene tech. Here. With the department.”

“Oh! I thought CSU had their own lab though,” Eddie replies, confusion furrowing his brow.

Barry chuckles, finishing getting his file together. “Yeah… They do. I dunno, I like the old space upstairs better though. I pretty much get my own lab, and I’m closer to—“

“Bear! There you are!” Joe’s voice rings out as he heads towards the two, Iris behind him. “Finally pull yourself out of your work long enough to catch a break? Iris has to head back to Jitter’s soon.”

Barry frowns but nods. “Yeah, sorry, I was finishing the GSR analysis for… uh…” He glances at the name on his file. “Sampson. Then Eddie and I got to talking…”

Joe looks over at the other detective, as if he’s just registering his presence for the first time, and Iris giggles. “Thawne,” Joe says, nodding. “I’m going to lunch. Tell Captain I’ll be back.”

Eddie nods and smiles, then looks at Barry. “Let me take that then,” he offers. “Sampson’s desk is right by mine.”

Barry grins and nods. “Yeah… Okay,” he says, handing the file over. And if his heart flips again when Eddie's hand briefly make contact with him (for the second time today, he reminds himself), there’s nothing he can do about it.

***

Another week later, Barry is working on typing up a report on a DNA analysis when Iris comes in. "Hey Bear," she calls brightly, walking over to him.

Barry looks up from his work and grins. "Hey Iris," he replies. And then, "oh crap, did we have plans?!"

Iris laughs and shakes her head. "Nope, but I got out of class early so I thought I'd swing by and say hi. What are you up to?"

Barry shrugs, saves his work and stands to stretch. "Just finishing a report. Nothing too exciting. I actually—”

“Hey Bar—oh, am I interrupting?” Barry looks up and smiles when he sees Eddie hovering near the door.

“No, no, uh, come on in,” Barry says with a grin, and Eddie walks over. “Iris and I are just chatting. I’m totally free. What’s up?”

Iris rolls her eyes at how Barry is practically tripping over himself because of Eddie, and she sighs. “Uh, Bear, I’m gonna go find dad. You’ll be home for dinner right?”

Barry looks over and nods. “Uh, yeah. I should be. I’m almost done here anyway.” He glances back to Eddie and blushes. “After I finish up with Eddie, I’ll head home.”

Iris raises her eyebrow, looking between the two before smirking. “Eddie, how do you feel about pizza?” she asks.

Eddie looks up from where he was fiddling with a stack of papers on Barry’s desk and raises his eyebrows. “...What?”

“Pizza. Yes or no?” Iris asks. Barry furrows his brow and she gives him a reassuring smile.

“Uh… yes?” Eddie replies in confusion, looking back at Barry then Iris again.  
“Good. Dinner’s at seven. See you then.” Iris smiles, winks at Barry, then turns and heads out the door.

Barry blushes and looks up at Eddie with a smile. “Sorry about her..." He says sheepishly. "What uh, what can I help you with?"

Eddie looks back at Barry, chuckling. "Actually, never mind," Eddie says, and Barry deflates a little. "Sounds like we both have dinner plans now, so asking would be a little redundant. I'll see you tonight."

He walks out of the lab and Barry stares after him wide-eyed and with a dopey grin on his face, a grin he wears for pretty much the rest of the day.

***

At home that night, Barry has just changed his outfit for a third time when the doorbell rings. He flies downstairs, nearly tripping on the bottom stair, only to see Iris pulling the door open. “Hey Eddie!” she greets, letting him inside.

Barry leans against the bannister in what he hopes is a nonchalant manner, smiling when the detective comes in. Eddie greets Iris and walks in, smiling at Barry. "Hi," he says, and Barry blushes. "Um, thanks for inviting me, you guys."

"It was no trouble," Iris says with a grin, coming around him. She glances between Eddie and Barry and rolls her eyes fondly. "Dad's just about done with the pizza, so I'm gonna go set the table. Why don't you guys go sit, Bear?" She nods towards the living room. "I'll get you when it's ready."

Barry blushes again and nods. "Yeah! Yeah, I uh, come on," he says. He leads Eddie into the living room, settling on one side of the couch. "Joe and Iris have lived here since before I moved in," he says. "It's always been home yknow?"

Eddie nods, smiling at the pictures of young Barry and Iris on the walls before sitting next to Barry, turning to face him. "You've been with them a while huh?" He asks.  
Barry frowns some and nods. "Yeah, my uh... After my mom died, they took me in. They've been like a second family," he says.

"Oh, Barry I'm sorry, I didn't know," Eddie hurries to say, a comforting hand on Barry's arm.

Barry smiles softly and shakes his head. "It's okay, I know you didn't," he says. "Anyway...." He shrugs, looking up at Eddie. "How are you liking the city?" He asks. "Joe said you transferred in."

Eddie nods, drops his hand to his lap. "Yeah, from Keystone," he explains. "My folks actually moved to the city with my younger sister a few years ago for my dad's work, and my older sister came out here for school a few years before that. So I decided to move closer to them. Plus..." He shrugs. "I've always wanted to give city life a try."  
Barry smiles again and nods. "Yeah, it's great here," he says. "How many sisters do you have?"

"One older and one younger," Eddie replies. “No brothers, but we all get along great." He’s silent for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hope this isn't weird for you," he says finally, a blush creeping up his cheeks.

Barry furrows his brow. "Why would it be weird?" He asks. "I'm glad you came."

Eddie shrugs. "Just, yknow. I didn't even know if you'd want to go have dinner with me and then your sister invited me over so I kinda just made an assumption but--"

"Eddie, hey," Barry interjects with a laugh, reaching over to put his hand over Eddie's. "Trust me, it's not weird, and it was a safe assumption."

"It... It was?" Eddie asks, and Barry can't help but roll his eyes fondly.

"Yeah, it was. If Iris hadn't jumped the gun, I'd have said yes." He squeezes Eddie's hand and bites the inside of his lip.

Eddie smiles bashfully, squeezing back. "Well, maybe this weekend we could--"

"Alright boys, dinner's ready!" Iris calls. "Get it while it's hot!"

Eddie sighs in exasperation and Barry chuckles. "C'mon," he says, taking Eddie's hand and leading him into the dining room.

***

Dinner passes by smoothly and Iris recruits Barry to help her with dishes, leaving Joe to give Eddie his best Tough Cop Dad act. Barry hums, actually hums as he rinses, and Iris can’t help but laugh. “You’re in a good mood,” she notes.

Barry looks up and grins, shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. I just had good night,” he says.

“Barry, you hate doing dishes, and you’re like, glowing or something,” she teases. "You really like him don't you?"

Barry blushes and shrugs. "I dunno, I mean, he's too... And I'm not...."

"Barry Allen." Iris turns and grabs Barry's shoulders, turning him to face her. "He's not too anything, and you definitely are," she says sternly. "You're a great guy, and anybody would be lucky if you gave them the time of day. Now," Iris smiles and hands him a towel. "Dry off, march in there, and save that boy from my dad.”

With a grin, Barry nods. “Thanks Iris,” he says. He dries off and tosses the towel back to her, then heads back out to the dining room. He can practically see the daggers shooting out of Joe’s eyes so he hurries over, a hand landing on Eddie’s shoulder. “Uh, hey, guys,” he says with a nervous chuckle. “Um, Joe, I uh, I think Iris needs your help with the uh, dessert.”

“Mhm,” Joe hums, not taking his eyes off Eddie as he stands. “I’m just gonna be in the other room.” He glances to Barry then stalks off into the kitchen, and Eddie lets out a sigh of relief.

“I had no idea Joe could be so terrifying,” Eddie mumbles.

Barry chuckles and drops into the chair next to him. “What did he say?” he asks.

“Nothing!” Eddie responds. “That’s just it! He just… stared at me!”

Barry chuckles again and nudges Eddie’s shoulder. “Yeah, that sounds like him. He stared down Iris’ prom date for a solid ten minutes while she finished getting ready.”

Eddie laughs and looks up at Barry. “Guess I should consider myself lucky then,” he replies. “Listen, Barry. I—“

“Alright boys, who wants ice cream?” Iris calls. Eddie groans and drops his head to the table, and Barry can’t help but laugh. He’ll have to talk to Iris about her timing.

***

After the table is cleared and Eddie decides he really should be heading out, Iris excuses herself to bed and reminds her dad that he needs to be at the station really early, so he should probably stop hovering and go to bed too. Barry just rolls his eyes and walks Eddie outside, lingering on the doorstep. “Sorry my family’s nuts,” he says. “I meant it though, I’m glad you came.”

Eddie laughs and nods, fingers fidgeting with his keys. “I am too,” he said. “Glad I came, I mean.” He looks up at Barry and is silent for a moment before laughing again. “You think if I try to ask you out one more time we’ll be interrupted again?” he teases.

“Only one way to find out,” Barry replies with a chuckle.

Eddie nods, shoves his hands in his pocket. “Do you want to—”

He's cut off again, but this time it’s by Barry’s lips on his. He hesitates for a split second before kissing back, hands coming to rest on Barry’s waist. When they finally break apart, Barry grins wide and Eddie’s expression mirrors his. "This Saturday," Barry says. "The Particle Accelerator is turning on, do you want to go? We can get dinner after. Just us."

Eddie, still grinning, nods and leans in to kiss Barry again. "It's a date," he mumbles.

Barry kisses back with a happy sigh, and he’s just wrapped his arms around Eddie’s neck when the porch light flicks off and on a few times. “Oh my god,” Barry mumbles as he pulls away, resting his forehead on Eddie’s shoulder. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“Hey, that sounds like premeditation to me,” Eddie teases. “Go, I’ll see you at work tomorrow and we’ll do the particle thing on Saturday.”

"Yeah, okay," Barry responds, untangling himself from Eddie. "I'll um, see you tomorrow."

Eddie nods and leans in to kiss Barry's cheek with a soft smile, then turns to leave.

Barry watches him until he's in his car then heads inside, raising his eyebrow when he sees Joe leaning against the banister. "Joe, I'm twenty-five, not sixteen," he says. "Was that necessary?"

Joe smirks. "Yes, it was. It's my job to embarrass you no matter how old you are," he responds. "Especially if you're gonna make out with the new detective.” Barry blushes and Joe laughs. “Really though, I’m happy for you Bear. It’s about time you had someone you’re not scared to share your feelings with.” He gives Barry a knowing look and Barry just blushes deeper and nods.

“Thanks Joe,” he replies. “Um… goodnight.” Barry races up the stairs and heads into his room, stopping when he sees Iris sitting on his bed with that face that means she wants the scoop. Barry just smiles and shakes his head. “Your timing needs work,” he says with a grin.

***

As it turns out, Barry and Eddie see very little of each other the next day, but Saturday rolls around soon enough and Barry practically vibrates as he gets ready for that evening. Iris has to tell him to calm down at least four separate times before Barry finally settles on an outfit. “How do I look?” he asks as he walks downstairs, and Iris grins.

“Perfect,” she says. “I mean, you looked perfect in all your other outfits too, but I think this is the one.”

Barry grins, then checks his phone. “Oh crap, I’m late,” he says with a sigh. “I gotta run. I’ll uh, see you later.”

Iris smiles and kisses Barry’s cheek. “Details!” she calls as he runs out the door.

He's just gotten on a bus when his phone buzzes in his pocket. Barry pulls it out, and sighs when he sees Captain Singh's name. "Hey, Captain," he answers.

"Allen, where's that DNA analysis for the Johnston case? The DA's still waiting on it."  
"It's..." Barry suddenly realizes that it's not even remotely close to being finished, and he groans. "It's on my desk, Captain. I'll swing by and make sure it's all there and get it to you ASAP," he says.

"You better," Singh replies. The line clicks off and Barry groans again, shakes his head. Of course something has to crop up when he finally gets a date with Eddie. Of course it does.

Barry gets off at the police station instead of going all the way out to STAR, and texts Eddie as he walks inside.

[[So sorry but something came up and I had to run to my lab. Can't make the Particle Accelerator. See you at dinner?]]

The reply is almost instant.

[[No worries! do your thing! I'll swing by and grab you and we just can leave from there ;) ]]

Barry smile and slips his phone back into his pocket, then clicks his small TV on to coverage of the Accelerator and sets about finishing his analysis. He's nearly done when the power flickers and goes out with a pop. "Oh what the hell," he mumbles, He goes over to start fiddling with the breaker box when he looks out the window and sees it, a big wave emanating from the direction of STAR Labs. He walks towards the window, curious as to what could have caused such a thing when suddenly, with a loud crack, lightning fills the lab and then… everything goes dark.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for that cliffhanger! Right now this is just a one shot. Maybe I'll come back to it in the future though, who knows!


End file.
